God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS), a Southern Baptist initiative with a goal of every believer sharing the gospel and every person in North America hearing the gospel by 2020, will be supported in South Carolina through a series of television advertisements.
The ads will point people to South Carolina Baptist Convention churches in their local communities and to a Web site (www.findithere.com) for a presentation of the gospel.
Conversations about GPS began in 2006 among SBC leaders who sought to answer the question, “What would it take for the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) to be fulfilled in our lifetime?” Frank Page, former pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church, now serving as vice president for evangelism, North American Mission Board, launched the discussion when he served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The initiative is twofold: for believers to share the gospel, and for every person in North America to hear the gospel. While NAMB is coordinating the project, it will unfold differently in each state, keeping it contextual for individual states and communities.
Marshall Fagg, associate executive director, evangelism and mission team, SCBC, said the television spots will serve as a catalyst for the initiative, culminating with a statewide evangelistic service on March 28 and a baptism celebration event on Easter Sunday, April 4. The television spots will be tagged: “A message from your South Carolina Baptist churches.”
Fagg said churches can access resources for implementing the initiative through an SCBC-sponsored GPS Web site (www.scgps.org). The site explains the convention’s plan of action and provides an “incredible wealth of resources.” Churches are asked to participate in a five-stage process: praying, engaging, connecting, cultivating, and disciple-making. The state convention Web site includes: stage-by-stage implementation suggestions with video; suggested implementation timeline; a step-by-step guide for praying across South Carolina; prayer request form, celebration reporting, and other resources.
“We are praying that God’s Plan for Sharing is going to impact the lives of more than 3 million lost and unchurched people in South Carolina,” Fagg said. “In order for this to happen, local churches and individuals will need to share the gospel with people around them – families, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and everyone in their sphere of influence.” – SCBC